Kumbh Mela: Preparations underway in Haridwar, first holy bath on 'Shivratri'

• Preparations are underway for Kumbh Mela 2021 which is to be held from April 1 to 30 in Haridwar. The Uttarakhand government has decided to limit the religious congregation this year to 30 days. Kumbh attendees will have to pre-register at a portal and have Covid-19 negative report. Hand sanitiser stalls have also been put up at several places across the Mela area, which spreads over Haridwar, Pauri Garhwal and Dehradun districts of Uttarakhand. “The first holy bath is on ‘Shivratri’, all preparations have been done for it. All in all, we have assigned duties to security personnel at the routes. Changing rooms and hand washing stations have been built in places. We would have volunteers who would keep sanitising the area,” Kumbh Mela officer Deepak Rawat said. Kumbh Mela religious pilgrimage witnesses one of the largest mass gatherings. It is celebrated four times over a course of 12 years and spans four locations namely Prayag, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nashik.